2010 MGoShirt Alert, Week Two

Submitted by Six Zero on

Camp is here!  The summer is shrinking…. The coaches are drilling… and the players are sweating.  The season opener is just over three weeks away, and a new chapter will be written.  So why are you still wearing the student shirt from 2005?

2010 MGoShirt Alert!

Once again, it’s my privilege to present to all of you the second round of the MGoShirt 2010 Season Line, as designed by yours truly and produced exclusively by Underground Printing in conjunction with our very own MGoBlog.

As an MGoBlog exclusive, we’re rolling out the wolverine’s share of the line today, allowing all of you maize and blue faithful to get the very first glimpse of these new designs and imagine yourself walking down State Street sporting this unique Michigan apparel.  And, yes, conveniently enough, these very same shirts are immediately available for purchase at the MGoStore!  Remember, the title of every shirt is an active link directly to the catalog entry for that product.  You can shop as soon as you see the shirt if you'd like.

AND a special offer is being made today—Underground has created Special Deal for those that want to own the full MGoShirt Alert 2010 collection. Buy all 10 shirts (or any 10 shirts - mix and match your favorites) and get them for $150 (25% off!).  MGoStore has also heard your prayers and is now offering multiple shirts in the coveted American Apparel option-- you asked for it, you got it!

So enough with the Billy Mays bit—let’s get to the shirts:

 

STARTING QB, ver. 1

Have Faith in the Five!

We’ve got options this year, kids—whether you’re a shoelace guy or an Our Man Tate loyalist, you can rest easy knowing that the other guy is ready to step in and deliver  at a moment’s notice.  This shirt allows the wearer to clearly identify himself as a number 5, with his second choice of quarterback emblazoned on the back.

DESIGNER INSIDER:   We toyed with simply choosing one QB over the other, but in the end the front and back concept works really well.  I must disclose that the guys at UGP wrote these, and even looked up the correct spelling of midi-chlorians-- I will say that I love the way everything’s worded.  Both sides read easily, and jump off the shirt.

 

STARTING QB, version 2

In Shoelace We Trust

For all of the number 16’s in the crowd, here is the alternate.  Dilithium on the front, Midi-chlorians on the back.  I understand this seems to be the current consensus of the blog, and whatever happens Denard’s gotta get on the field.  

DESIGNER INSIDER:   I’m pleased with both of these.  I wanted a fun typeface, something that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Because this QB battle is sure to become serious enough in the next few weeks.

 

J8NAS

The Workers Are Going Ho-ome

The Blue Album.  No matter what Rivers ever does with the rest of his career, he still can’t take that one away from me.  Dude, they really named the album after Hurley?

DESIGNER INSIDER:  I’ve always rooted for that certain linebacker who wears #8… he’s come such a long way and I have to believe that he’s going to get something done this year.  I can’t be the only one… can I?

 

IMPALER

De Creatures of de Secondary-- What beaudiful moosik dey make

Vlad Tepes, Dracul, the very impaler of souls and eater of hope, is coming off a very quiet redshirt season that allowed his knee to heal.  It’s time to consume the blood of the innocent and hang their heads on stakes at the thirty-five yard line.  I’ll let you all guess what part of that statement is actually true, and what’s just funny Internet stuff.

DESIGNER INSIDER:  I’ve seen this image of the real, historical Vlad before, but once I actually got to work on it, I was surprised at how not terrifying he really seemed to be.  This historical depiction looks more like the guy who gives you rental skates at the outdoor rink than a ruthless, heartless dictator.  If you ask me.

 

ZONE READ

No, Rich-- I AM your starting quarterback

Vader keeps the ball vertical, no spin, laces out.  The Dark Side of the force puts a big focus on great ball control skills, I guess.  Sure, it’s a Yoda quote, but I just wanted to do something Vader-esque again, and the quote fit.

DESIGNER INSIDER:  This is based on the scene in Empire right after Luke loses his hand—I know the zone read doesn’t typically require Tate or Denard pitching the ball, but it just seemed to look so right in conjunction with the pose, so I kept it.

 

 

SLOT NINJA

To the TEETH!

The kid in the #9 jersey with the dreads and the consistent herculean effort—you know who I’m talkin’ about—he gives slot ninjas everywhere a good name.  Well, a ninja is only as good as his gear.  This guy is well armed and clearly ready to play with more than a few ‘hard edges.’

DESIGNER INSIDER:  enjoyed watching Tay work so hard the past two years and look forward to seeing him continue the trend this season.  I originally tried to get the dreads involved but it just took away from the design.  I’m beginning to think UGP should just sell entire sets of maize and blue ninja suits with #9’s on their front and back, but that’s another story.  Certainly one of my favorites.

 

PAHOKEE

Big Love for tha 33476

I tried to look back to see where it came up exactly, but at some point during last year’s rollout this slogan came to surface, and I always wanted to revisit it.  It’s the same slot ninja that I put together last year, but with the true shout-out to all our boyos from Pahokee.  Who knows?  If enough of us sport this shirt on primetime TV, we could truly cement the Pahokee-Ann Arbor pipeline connection.  DO IT FOR THE TEAM!

DESIGNER INSIDER:  Fun, a little goofy, almost looks like a legitimate kid’s shirt—that’s all by design.  I also wanted to do a white shirt, because as of now everything I’ve done for MGoStore has been a maize or blue shirt.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I try to keep diversity in my UM wardrobe, and right now the colors are winning handily over the whites and grays. 

 


So there you go—another healthy batch of MGoShirt goodness that are guaranteed to make the next three weeks feel like 6 hours.  Okay, not really—but at least you’ll know you’ve got the merch you need for the opening tailgate.  Shop, buy, wear with pride, and YELL AS LOUD AS YOU CAN when the game starts!!  And don’t forget—if you’re interested in loading up your closet with some high quality MGoApparel, Rishi and UGP have made it possible with the MGoShirt Alert special offer!  Simply go to the store and put 10 shirts into your cart, and the special offer will take the discount off for you!

I'm not sure what next week will bring in the 2010 MGoShirt Alert-- stay tuned.  Three weeks til kickoff!

Comments

Wolverine0056

August 12th, 2010 at 8:29 AM ^

Love them Six Zero! My favorite is the Starting QB one. I love the Midi-Chlorian reference. But of course the Darth Vader one is pretty good too. Is there any more in the next few weeks?

931 S State

August 16th, 2010 at 6:24 PM ^

This may be a little nitpicky for the star wars shirts, but the "powerful ally" quote is a Yoda quote not Vader.  Also, midi-chlorians, or pretty much any of the cheesy bs from the prequels just drives me insane...frickin George Lucas.

Great stuff though.  Keep 'em coming.  My personal fave is the "my name is jonas" shirt.

MCalibur

August 12th, 2010 at 9:01 AM ^

The starting QB shirts are money, and now you will have some of mine. Can we get it in Maize?

Now all I have to do is commit to a starting QB, like THAT'S gonna happen...

maineandblue

August 12th, 2010 at 9:36 AM ^

Cute shirts, Six Zero. Thanks for putting in the work. They're a bit too dorky/esoteric for me to order/wear, especially since I live in VA and absolutely nobody around me would have any idea what these shirts mean or even that they're related to Michigan. OTOH, I get compliments on my Worst State Ever shirt all the time.

Hope I didn't sound like a jerk there...really appreciate your work and just trying to provide a bit of constructive feedback based on my humble e-pinion. It's gotta be a tough job coming up with new ideas and trying to please everyone, especially considering we're a pretty tough crowd here...

Polisci

August 12th, 2010 at 1:31 PM ^

The reason you don't like them is the exact reason I do like them. I like the fact that most everyone I see has no idea what my shirt is saying. 

You go to Target or god forbid Abercrombie and they sell shirts for stuff that doesn't even exist like "Sweet Joe's Trucking and Repair."

M-Wolverine

August 12th, 2010 at 9:36 AM ^

I love it. Not sure how well it will translate to the general populace, but pretty cool. I wish we could get an LED shirt that switch back and forth as cooly as the graphic here.  :-)

There's something about the Vader shirt that just seems off though...I don't know if it's the zone-read being awkward, or another Vader, or that Tate might not even start.  I guess that's a minor problem with all the shirts in this batch - 7 shirts, and maybe 6 of them could be for non-starters. It might almost be a 2011 set.  Maybe we just need some more Michigan generic, and not player specific designs, since we seem to be in such flux.

Though I really dig the Impaler one...great design bleeding one into the other (pun intended). Though the back should be our opposition being Impaled.  Might be too gruesome, but I'd love to see that Buckeye head with a stake going through his round head. Not much more gory than the Wolverine eating the mascots last year, and that was one of the most popular shirts. (But maybe that's just me).

When do you sleep? Find time for all these designs, interviews.....

DoctorDave

August 12th, 2010 at 1:08 PM ^

I could totally see a great Mike Martin shirt, featuring great art accompanied by any one of these classic lines:

  • "You’re making me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry."
  • "When I totally lose control… I like it."
  • "Puny human."
  • "Listen to your father and take your medicines, okay?"

WichitanWolverine

August 12th, 2010 at 9:56 AM ^

The Impaler one is pretty good...now all he has to do is crack the lineup.

I don't quite understand the Pahokee shirt...it almost seems like a dig on the rest of our non-Odoms players.  We have 4 Pahokee players on the roster, and only 1 is a slot receiver.

DoctorDave

August 12th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^

Why not have a Pahokee franchise... same shirt, same design, just switch the number and the tag line for whatever position a Pahokee player plays. I'm sure we can come up with creative titles for each player/position:

  • Tay Odoms: Slot Ninja
  • Vincent Smith: __________________
  • Brandon Hawthorn: ___________________
  • Richard Ash: _________________

Those shirts would find their way to Pahokee faster than a skinny, scared rabbit, and every kid in that town would want to go Blue and get their own shirt.

Dr.Jay

August 12th, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^

Or you can make one that says " I was chasing rabbits out of the Muck and ended up in Ann Arbor" And have a drawing of a rabbit in front of the big house maybe?? BTW if this becomes a shirt I hope I receive a free one :^)

Six Zero

August 12th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^

Haven't been able to take part in much over there lately-- I had an idea for Grand Rapids but ultimately chose not to start something I wouldn't be able to devote adequate time to.  Thanks for the shout-out-- I love branding and logo design and there's some great designers over there.

trumpetgirl

August 12th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^

I love the cleverness and nerd appeal of these.  I wish I lived closer to AA so they could be better appreciated instead of the puzzled looks I usually get.  In any case, there is always a special place in my heart for slot ninjas so really appreciate those ones.  Thanks for sharing your talents!

Irish

August 12th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^

I like the Slot Ninja one the best so far this year.

Q: is there anyway I could get one with a goldish color instead of that yellowish stuff, oh and then replace that 9 with a 7.  =)

HailGoBlue86

August 12th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^

I really like the Zone Read and the Impaler one. I do like the idea of a Pahokee shirt but seeing only one guy that we have from Pahokee plays slot, the shirt isn't correct.

And How

August 12th, 2010 at 12:17 PM ^

Impressive work; I will definitely pick up a few of these.

Did you consider using a more traditional Japanese sword in the Slot Ninja graphic? I hate to draw a mustache on someone else's art, but I'd tweak that.

MGoAndy

August 12th, 2010 at 12:48 PM ^

My Name is J8NAS is great.  That's one of the very few albums that you could blast in a dorm hallway and have every person in every room singing along.  

Ernis

August 12th, 2010 at 2:10 PM ^

I like the QB shirt except for the fact that midichlorians ruined the whole premise of Star Wars

They're all clever, but a bit too nerdy for my tastes. Maybe if the Impaler shirt had a WR jumping up high, going for the deep ball, and getting run through by Vlad's pike (like a front-back cartoon sequence "Vlad / The Impaler!")... that would be more appealing to a feller like meself. Just sayin'. Very good looking stuff, though

Marley Nowell

August 12th, 2010 at 3:34 PM ^

I actually like the Slot Ninja graphic the best out of all these shirts.  If that graphic were blown up on the front with a # (Odom's maybe) on the back I think that would be a sweet shirt.

MGrad

August 12th, 2010 at 8:18 PM ^

It would be totally awesome if you could have a smaller Vader image of him hard leaning/cutting upfield, stiff-arming the DE with his boots untied.  A lot of detail to try to pull off though.